Dear Friends,
Exactly a year ago, on a maddening October morning, I signed the papers that made it official: I had founded a company. A company that, in many ways, was just an extension of my passion for journalism, which has always been my first love.
Many people predicted I would not last a year in this world, that I was too idealistic to cope with everyday business life, and that I would get things in a “virtual” mess in no time.
Fortunately, these people were wrong. But it was not I who proved them wrong. It has been the faith of all my friends and family in my journalistic skills, the support of a team which came to work with me when I had nothing to give them in return and has stayed faithfully by my side ever since and the complete defence and aerospace fraternity which accepted me with open arms and encouraged me to manage both the sides of the table well. Together, we have made Aviation & Defence Universe (ADU) find its steady footprint in infancy and proved all the detractors who said journalists cannot be entrepreneurs, wrong. With the right team one can.
Brig. VK Atray who has not only been a friend, philosopher and guide but also a perfect managing editor to the portal. Can never thank him enough.
Harmeet who has been a real pillar of strength and support, not only technically but also working at all hours for an audience of so many different time zones. Must have uploaded content at the most weird hours conceivable with a smile.
Chaitali Bag, Arundhati Das and Madhu Sawhney who came like whiff of fresh air and with their expertise and enthusiasm made me feel confident that ADU could aim for a global presence. They have been great shots in arm for the website and now we have live coverage from Europe, Gulf, US and Canada. Thank you girls for making ADU your aim and for being there.
And not to forget the experts who have been a part of the Advisory Board of ADU since its inception. They have been guiding us, helping with their experience, praising us and giving us a piece of their mind if we go wrong, which both Brig. Atray and I agree is very much needed to keep us on track. Thanks you all for having consented to be our beacons.
But everything is incomplete without the readers in a journalistic product production. It is for them that we write and for them that we report. With them in mind we travel to bring information from the spot of action. It is for them that ADU reiterates its motto—‘We just report facts, We don’t change them’. We take this opportunity to thank each and every reader for reading, giving feedback and suggestions and boosting our morale.
Thanks a ton for making the last twelve months memorable and motivating for us. Hope to take this great relationship forward.
In the end I thank the Lord Almighty without whom we couldn’t have moved an inch. His blessings will always be ADU’s biggest strength.
